Milk's 3D vfx for Doctor Who 50th gives it the feel of a movie

Vfx house Milk was behind the visual effects for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary episode, The Day Of The Doctor, which was shot in stereoscopic 3D.

Milk created a series of large-scale CG environments, action and CG spacecraft in stereoscopic 3D to support the epic storyline in which the Doctors embark on their 75-minute adventure. The vfx company created 129 visual effects shots including the dramatic sequences featuring the Gallifreyan city of Arcadia under siege at the hands of the Daleks.

Milk constructed a large scale 3D environment of the falling city, buildings, debris and explosions; and fly-through shots that immerse the audience, taking advantage of the depth that stereoscopic 3D allows, making the sequences more visceral. Milk created the dramatic 3D Time Lord paintings at the National Gallery through which the Doctor and Clara witness the battle and fall of Arcadia and which form the entry point for the viewer to fly into the city.

One of the biggest challenges was creating a framed painting that appears to be a two dimensional object but which, when the camera moves around it, is revealed to be a full 3D environment with depth, whilst still remaining within the picture frame.

Milk also worked with the BBC’s art department to design the Dalek fighter pods - a new feature of the Dalek fleet - created specially for the 50th anniversary episode to maximize the speed and agility of the Daleks in the attack sequences during the fall of Arcadia.

The team at Milk (previously as The Mill’s TV department prior to Milk’s launch in June 2013) has been creating the visual effects for Doctor Who since its regeneration in 2005. During this time, the team has won awards including a BAFTA, a VES (Visual Effects Society) Award and an RTS Award for their vfx work.

"Having worked on a number of stereoscopic 3D feature films we relished the challenge of working in stereo for television," says Will Cohen, Milk’s ceo. "It was a pleasure to continue our working relationship with Steven Moffat and the BBC team to bring their creative visions to life, creating striking visual images to support the heart-stopping narrative and making the Doctor Who look more like a movie than ever before.”

Milk is currently working on the BBC’s Doctor Who 60-minute special Christmas episode featuring Peter Capaldi as the new Doctor. The episode will be broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day.

Milk’s current TV projects also include Sherlock: Series Three (Hartswood Films/BBC); new pirate drama series Black Sails for Starz; Sky’s New Year’s Day TV special - David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive (Sky Atlantic); and the new TV drama Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, a seven part mini-series (7 x 60’) due to be broadcast on BBC One in the UK in 2015.

On the feature film side, Milk is working on MGM’s upcoming Hercules and has recently completed work on 47 Ronin for Universal.